The Days Before the Music Died
by glitteryv0dka
Summary: A series of one shots surrounding the development of Peter and Gamora's relationship between Vol. 2 and Infinity War. No spoilers for Infinity War.
1. Family Shows Up

**This will be a series of oneshots set between GOTG2 and Infinity War. No spoilers whatsoever. It'll go into the development of Peter and Gamora's relationship. Let me know what you think!**

Chapter One: Family Shows Up

It had been a rough fight. The Kree didn't mess around apparently. Peter knew that one for a fact now, if he hadn't already put it together. The spear through his left shoulder was definitely proof of that.

The spear had gone through his shoulder and planted firmly into the concrete wall behind him, redenering him stuck, and quite frankly, useless at this point. After they disabled him, he was surprised to see that they didn't come back around to finish him off.

From his position, he'd noticed one of their fighters slice open the back of Rocket's leather jacket, exposing his engineered modifications.

He noticed about three seconds too late, the Kree fighter had zapped Rocket's main power implant with some kind of enhanced looking cattle prodder before he could get the words out to warn his teammate. He went down quickly, but it was odd to Peter that the blow wasn't lethal. Rocket was clearly still alive, twitching on the ground as he moaned in pain.

Peter tilted his head in confusion. Why were they using non lethal methods? What did they want?

When a bunch of them wrestled Drax into a pair of what looked like super handcuffs and all fifteen of them turned to the only remaining Guardian, Peter realized what was happening.

Gamora had slumped to her knees beside Rocket to help fix his modifications, and two of them ran up behind her, taking her by hand fulls of her hair and dragging her back towards their ship.

"Gamora!" He shouted, struggling painfully against the spear through his arm.

She struggled against the two warriors, crying out in aggravation before doing a somersault, flipping the warriors onto the ground along with her. She jumped up quickly, slamming her boot into one of their chests and kicking the other who had already gotten up in the jaw.

Peter couldn't help but smirk at the cracking sound it made. The warrior stumbled backwards, crying out in pain.

Two more came at her from behind on either side.

"Groot!" She shouted as she pulled two throwing knives from her holsters. She spun around on her heel, hitting the two behind her easily in between with what seemed like little effort.

Groot popped out of the Milano's holding bay, sprinting across the field towards Gamora. "I am Groot?" he asked as he got closer.

Gamora dodged one of their punches, "Yes! I need you to-" she was cut off by a punch to the face, barely stumbling before grabbing the fighter by the throat and throwing him aside. "Pull the spear out of Peter!" She shouted, a little more frantic as another two fighters grabbed ahold of her arms. A third ran up in front of her, kicking her hard in the stomach.

Peter flinched the she doubled over and was yanked back up by the fighters holding her arms behind her. She groaned as she bit back a cry out in pain.

He had to tear his eyes away to find Groot in the grassy field. "Groot! Hurry up!" He yelled.

He saw the tiny floral colossus a few feet away, his arms already growing rapidly above his head as he ran towards him. His small arms grew quickly and thick as he got big enough to reach the spear lodged in Peter's arm.

"I am Groot," he warned as he gripped the end of the spear.

He nodded, "I figured that it'll hurt, buddy. It's okay."

He bit his lip as he saw his small toddler-sized tree teammate take a deep breath as he shut his eyes. "I am Groot!" He shouted as he yanked the spear through Peter's shoulder.

"Holy shi- you said you'd count to three!" Peter bellowed as he grabbed his shoulder, blood seeping between his fingers.

Groot rolled his eyes at him, pointing behind him at Gamora, who was now facing four warriors, and moving significantly slower than she had moments before.

"Right," He said as he pulled his blaster from the holster and ran forward.

Two warriors were holding Gamora's arms behind her, the third fighter was behind her, pressing his foot firmly into the center of her back. As Peter ran forward, he couldn't but flinch as he heard a soft, but definitely painful pop, indicating they had dislocated her shoulder. Without even thinking, he fired two shots, taking down the two fighters behind her holding her arms.

She gripped her shoulder as she dropped. The third fighter that Peter had missed bent down quickly to grab her, but Gamora rolled onto her back, lifting her legs up to wrap around his neck. She used her good arm to push herself onto his shoulders, wrapping her legs tighter around her neck as he did so.

"Who sent you?" She bellowed, her voice wild and dangerous.

The fighter snickered but immediately started choking as she tightened her legs' hold on his throat. "F-fine! Your daddy, _little one._ "

His words threw her off, and Peter could tell. She stiffened, and the fighter used that to his advantage. He pulled a dagger from his holster, driving it into her right thigh. Gamora bit back a cry in pain before tightening her legs around him once more. She twisted her body slightly, breaking his neck without much effort. His body crumpled beneath her, and she pushed herself forward, landing haphazardly on her right knee and tumbling forward onto the ground.

Peter shot the remaining two, and ran to Gamora as was struggling to stand. Before he could even get close to her, she shook her head. "Help them!"

"But are you-"

"Yeah. Go to them." She grunted, moving her head to the side and spitting some blood out onto the ground.

"Gamor-" He tried.

"Go." Her voice was even, but she was breathing heavily.

He gave in, nodding and running back to Rocket and Drax.

"Groot! Get the handcuffs!" He yelled as he sprinted to Rocket, who was now unconscious. He couldn't fix his modifications out here on the field; he didn't even know where to start. They needed to get back to the ship. "I can't do this here we need to get back to the Milano." Peter tilted his head back at their ship about 300 yards away.

Groot nodded as he managed to rip Drax's handcuffs off, and Drax sprinted over to Gamora.

He held his hand out to Gamora, who was still on the ground. "Friend, can you stand?"

Gamora spit out some more blood, rolling her eyes. "What do you think?" She said as she moved her right leg into Drax's view. His eyes widened as he saw that the dagger was still lodged into her thigh, and it was deeper since she jumped down from the fighter's shoulders and landed hard on the ground.

He sighed deeply, "Let me help you u-"

"No. I do not need any help." She said, her voice low and dangerous. It reminded Drax of a wounded animal showing its teeth as a last ditch method to scare off a predator. "Gamora-"

"Drax, I can get up." She snapped, struggling to push herself off the ground.

Peter noticed this from across the field and hoped that if Drax couldn't get her up, then maybe she'd let him help.

"Drax!" He called out as he scoped Rocket into his arms, running towards his friends across the field.

Drax approached him, "Quill, she is pretty badly injured."

Quill nodded, his face grim. "Can you take Rocket and Groot back to the Milano? I'll stay back with her." He tried to keep his voice low. He knew if Gamora heard he didn't think she could make it back on her own, she'd be impossible to move.

Drax nodded as he took Rocket into his arms and jogged towards the Milano.

"Come on tiny tree!" Drax yelled at Groot who was playing in the grass.

When he saw them head into the ship, he turned back to Gamora.  
"Hey, Mora." He started as he squatted down next to her.

She wouldn't look at him. "Your shoulder looks bad. You need to get to the ship and get cleaned up."

He rolled his eyes, "Without you?" he scoffed, "Come on."

"I don't need help." She muttered, but her voice faltered as she tried, and failed once more, to get up on her own.

"Oh I know," Peter nodded, deciding to humor her. "I just need to know what to do for Rocket. Since those Kree bastards seemed to know you pretty well, I assume that tech was meant to mess with your mods too."

She nodded slowly, this time actually looking him in the face. "It's just a stun system. It shuts down the modifications for about an hour or so. Rocket will be okay. It'll just hurt a bit."

Peter nodded, "I take it you know that one from experience, huh?"

She nodded again. "Thanos would use it if any of us disobeyed."

Peter nodded, "Can you stand?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. I just need a minute."

He shook his head, "Mora, there's a knife in your leg."

"Thanks for letting me know." She barked, as she winced at her modifications, popping her shoulder back into place. "See?" She asked, moving her shoulder without pain once more, "I'll start to heal in a moment or so."

"Yeah but cuts don't work like that. You said it yourself a few months back, I remember." He countered, and he couldn't help but smirk.

She nodded, but looked back down to the ground again. "Then leave me here then."

"Why the Hell would any of us want to do that?" Peter asked, unsure of her sudden request.

"They were here for me." She wiped some blood off her face. It was then Peter noticed a pretty deep gash across her cheek.

Before he could say anything else, she continued, "No one is coming to get anyone else. As long as I am alive, Thanos will come for me."

Peter sighed, "And we will kill him when that happens. We're not gonna leave you here for dead."

She shook her head, "What if next time he sends his actual children? And they're told they can kill everyone else? We survived today because the Kree were told not to kill us." She took a deep breath, eyes welling with tears. "And all of this is my fault. If they were allowed to be more forceful,and something happened to you, I couldn't forgive myself."

Peter wiped his thumb across her cheek, removing the tears and some blood that were running down her face. "Gamora, none of us care about any of that stuff. I mean I l-" he forced a cough, "W-we love you. We'd do anything for you. Always."

Gamora nodded slowly, taking his hand in hers. "Thank you," she dropped her gaze once more. "I just sometimes feel like I'm not worth all of this trouble."

Peter shook his head, "Mora, you just took on fifteen warriors on your own to help us. Everytime shit hits the fan for us, you're there. And when times get tough for you, that's when we show up to help. You're in this family. That's how it works. Family shows up."

He wasn't sure, but he could've sworn he saw a small smile playing on her lips. But before she could say anything else, he leaned in closer, putting one hand behind her back and the other under her knees. "Can you please let me take you back to your Milano so we can get that knife out of your leg and get off this boring ass planet."

She rolled her eyes, a smirk forming on her lips. "Fine. But we're cleaning your shoulder up first."

"Whatever you say, baby." As he lifted her off the ground, carrying her back towards the Milano.


	2. Your Gypsy Soul

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm procrastinating writing my thesis by updating with another chapter! Yay, everybody wins. Except for me in the long run, probably. But hey, maybe this will help me with my inspiration problem or something. I've been so happy with the reviews, favorites, and follows so far! If anyone has any ideas for what they want to see in the coming chapters, you can leave a review or message me privately!**

Chapter 2: Your Gypsy Soul

It was his mother's birthday. May 12.

Yeah, never an easy day for Peter.

However, today he had to be their leader. They had just botched a job that was supposed to be easy, and they didn't get paid the amount that their employer originially discussed with them. To be fair, it was their fault for not having a plan. Who would've thought it would be hard to defend Xandarian farm animals from rabid Askavarian-Kree hybrids? Certainly not the team, but as it turns out, it definitey was.

They had taken a pretty bad beating, and everyone was sulking a little bit. Except Groot, which was to be expected. He had the time of his life playing in the grass as they got their butts kicked. The two that really carried them all were Drax and Gamora. They tore through the group, defending Xandar's Universal Farming Station flawlessly. If it wasn't for them, they wouldn't have been paid at all.

The only thing that really made Peter find any solace in the events of the mission was the way Gamora smiled when the Nova Prime pulled her aside to thank her personally for her hard work. Sure, they had been thanked by her before, but never Gamora on her own. Peter knew she was still struggling with her place on the team and at times, even in the galaxy. It made him happy to see that she was being recognized for all the good she's done since betraying Thanos and joining the Guardians.

But now they were back on the ship, Gamora had gone to shower and probably burn her clothes, she had purple blood all over her jumpsuit and in her hair. While Drax loved the feel of his enemies' blood all over him, Gamora took a much cleaner approach when it came to celebrating a victory. He couldn't help but smirk as he recalled Gamora threatening to find a fire hose and use it on Drax the first time they had gotten into a fight that ended rather messy for the Destroyer. Since then, most of them had gotten used to Drax's ritual of walking around proudly, smelling like death and recalling his favorite parts of the battle (like none of the other Guardians were there) for awhile before taking a shower.

Rocket had also gone to get himself cleaned up, so Peter had decided to pilot the Milano for a little while. He knew he could easily leave auto-pilot on and let it take them away from their shitty mission, but the driving cleared his head.

He had experienced two birthdays with the guardians so far, each time retreating to his room to mourn and remember his mother in peace. None of them knew, but he was sure they figured it had to do with his life on Terra. He was grateful that none of them had asked, but he was sure that they had wanted to at one point or another. He didn't know what kept them from inquiring, but he was happy for the one day of privacy.

Or at least, he thought he'd be.

Since his little unspoken-but-almost-definitely-spoken thing was acknowledged by Gamora, part of him wanted to confide in her about his mother's birthday.

He was lost in thought as he piloted the Milano through the stars, almost like muscle memory. He ended up switching auto-pilot before getting up and deciding to walk to the bridge.

As he passed Gamora's door, he noticed it was slightly adjar. He passed it, but slowly backed up, wondering if she was out of the shower. He didn't know if he wanted to tell her about his mother, but he knew he didn't want to be alone with his thoughts. It wasn't really working out for him at this point.

"Mora?" He called out as he knocked on the doorframe.

Her bathroom door was shut, and he smiled when he heard a familar song playing loudly in the room, Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl." He felt a small pang in his heart when he remembered it was one of his mother's favorites.

The volume of the song lowered significantly. "Peter?" He heard her call out, sounding a little confused. She opened the bathroom door, poking her head out to look at him.

Her hair was wet, he saw some of the ends dripping onto the floor as she looked at him. He suddenly felt awkward. He didn't mean to barge in and interrupt her shower. "Uh, yeah. But I can come back later. I didn't mean to-"

She cut him off, "Um, no it's okay. Are you alright?" She asked, worry evident in her eyes.

He nodded, clearing his throat, "Uh, yeah. I'm okay." He faltered a little bit, and it definitely didn't go unnoticed on the green skinned assasin.

She rolled her eyes, "Right." She looked around from her spot, sticking her head out into her room. "I just need to grab some clothes, and I'll be able to talk."

He nodded, looking down suddenly. "Oh, I can go."

She shook her head as she opened the door all the way, revealing what he had suspected: she only had a black towel wrapped around her. "I can just grab some clothes and change in the bathroom." She motioned towards her bed on the other side of her room, "Have a seat."

He did, but made a concious effort to look at anything but her. He had definitely blushed when she stepped out. Mostly from embarassment. He didn't even really know why he was here, but he felt bad interuppting her time alone to shower off the stress of the day.

She grabbed some clothes quickly and headed back into the bathroom. He felt bad; he didn't intend to just barge in and expect her to drop everything she was doing for him. She turned the music back up a little bit, and Peter thought of the first time his mother played this artist for him when he was a child.

" _Wake up my little starlord!" His mother whispered happily as she shook him gently while he slept._

 _He rolled over, rubbing his eyes. "Mom?" He mumbled through a yawn._

 _She was still dressed up, and she had some glitter in her hair. She looked so pretty, it made him smile. "How was dancing?" He asked as he sat up. His mother never went out, but his grandma had insisted this man from his grandpa's office was young, well to do, and very nice. She had agreed to get dinner and go dancing with the guy that night. Peter thought they had been out once or twice already, but he wasn't entirely sure. His grandparents had spent the evening watching movies and playing board games with him._

 _She giggled, nodding quickly. "It was really nice, actually."_

 _He smiled, "Good, momma. You deserve someone nice."_

 _Her eyes seemed far away for a moment as she nodded absentmindedly. Peter wondered if she was thinking of his father. The "space man" she'd gone on about for as long as he could remember._

 _She snapped out of it after a moment, looking back at her son with a big, toothy grin. "Thank you, baby." She gave him a big hug, kissing his forehead as she did so._

 _When she pulled away, she pulled her walkman out of her pocket. "We heard some cool new songs. And Trevor remembered I have a son who loves music, so he made us a little mix."_

 _Peter smiled at her; she seemed really excited about this guy. He was still a little skeptical, but he only sees his mom that happy when she talks about his dad. Peter didn't know anything about the guy, but it didn't seem like he'd ever come back to Missouri._

 _She handed him an earbud, and he laid back down beside her on his bed, staring at the glow in the dark stars she had put on his ceiling a few weeks ago._

" _...I wanna rock your gyspy soul.."_

 _The man's voice was smooth; Peter really liked it._

" _Mom, what's a gyspy soul?" He asked after a few more verses._

 _She looked over at him, chuckling as she ran a hand through his sandy curls. "It's when someone is meant to be wild and free. On their own and doing what they please. Really passionate people, I think. Beautiful inside and out."_

" _Like you?" He asked, smiling at his mother._

 _She smiled, "That's sweet of you to say, baby."_

"Peter?" Gamora, now dressed with her damp hair braided down her back, waved her hand in front of his face.

He blinked several times, snapping back into reality. "What?" He looked up at Gamora, "Oh, hi. Sorry."

She tilted her head at him, 'What is it?"

He shook his head, "Nothing."

She rolled her eyes at him, but didn't press him further. She just sat down across from him on her bed, sitting criss cross comfortably as she undid her hair from the tight braids.

He liked watching her do this stuff. She was wearing an oversized Terran baseball team t shirt, which had been his, and loose fitting sleep shorts. She never let anyone on the team see her in anything but her usual, combat ready outfits. Peter had only seen her in relaxed clothing a couple times. It was a rarity, but it made Peter feel good knowing she was comfortable enough to share this part of herself with him.

Her wavy hair fell around her face, framing it perfectly before she looked at him again. "What's on your mind, Peter?"

He shook his head, looking down at her grey blanket covering her bed.

She took his hand in hers, which surprised him. "You've been off all day. What is it? I want to help."

He looked at her then, seeing the genuine concern in her eyes. "It's just uh," he cleared his throat again. "It's my mom's birthday."

She tilted her head at him, nodding slowly. "How are you doing?"

He shook his head, "I dunno. I wanna be a good leader, especially after the shit show today, but I also just feel so lost."

She nodded again, giving him a knowing look as she squeezed his hand supportively. "Today was just not a good day, if you're talking about the mission. None of us were prepared the way we should have been. That wasn't your fault."

He nodded, but he wasn't convinced.  
She could tell, "Rocket and Drax stayed up last night drinking instead of getting rest or doing any training. And that was after you told them to go to bed. So no, this wasn't because you failed us. We all failed a little bit." Her voice was matter of fact, but still soft and gentle.

Peter did feel a bit better, but he still just felt like he had failed them. Just like he had failed his mother.

He had been looking down again, and he was taken by surprise when Gamora took his face in her hands, gently pulling his head back up to look at her. "If you had screwed us, I would have told you." She searched his face for some kind of sign she was getting through to him, then her expession softened even more, "But that's not what you're thinking about, is it?"

He shrugged, "I failed you guys today. Whether you blame everyone collectively or not, I am still the leader. I have to make sure everyone is okay."

Gamora shook her head, sitting back again once she figured he'd maintain eye contact with her. "Peter, we are all adults who know what's best for ourselves. Rocket and Drax not listening to you isn't your fault. They paid for it today during the mission, and they definitely realize it now. Sometimes things just go wrong, and it's not one person's fault entirely. Don't be so hard on yourself."

It was then he felt tears pooling in his eyes.

She definitely noticed, because she scooted forward, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Peter, I'm sorry I didn't mean-"

"No, no." He shook his head, a few tears falling now. "You're right, and it's not about the mission." He wiped his face quickly, feeling dumb for crying in front of her. "Right before my mom died, she asked me to take her head," He felt himself having trouble breathing as he choked out a sob.

Gamora pulled him to her, and he laid his head on her shoulder, broken sobs escaping his body every few seconds. Normally, he would try to act cool or macho or whatever, but he just felt comfortable with Gamora.

"I-I failed her," he choked out as he hid his face in her hair, his tears dampening her shirt.

She shook her head, running on hand gently through his hair. "No, Peter. You didn't."

He pulled away then, staring at her with an expression that physically hurt Gamora to see on his face. He looked broken, he was slumped over, dry heaving as he tried to catch his breath enough to speak to her.

"Sh-" he took a deep, shaky breath. "She asked me to take her hand, and I didn't." He dropped his head. "I was just s-so angry, ya know? I had been so t-tough for her. I tried h-hard to stay out of trouble. I did everything my family asked and it didn't h-help her in the end. She still died right in f-front of me." He took several heavy breaths then, anger welling inside of him, "Then I find out Ego put that brain tumor in her head so he could get me for his fucking expansion plan."

She nodded then, finally understanding his grief fully. She felt rage growing in her gut, but she didn't want to get angry. She needed to be strong and levelheaded right now, for Peter.

"She would have been proud of you. And it is not your fault what Ego did to her. You avenged your mother, Peter. He is dead and he can't hurt anymore children or mothers again." She said, gripping her arm gently, supportively.

He took more deep breaths, feeling exhausted, but like a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He hadn't told anyone about not taking his mother's hand, and he also didn't tell the guardians about Ego admitting to killing his mother. He didn't know what they would say, and he didn't want to unpack that with each of them. With Gamora, she just seemed to understand.

She wiped some spare tears still falling off his cheeks, kissing his forehead gently. "It's getting late, but I was going to stay up for a little while longer. Would you like to stay?"

He nodded, managing a small smile, "Thank you, Mora."

She nodded, pushing herself off the bed and padding across the floor back to her bathroom. "No problem."

She walked in and shut off the light, grabbing what she had used to listen to music. He sat up straighter when he saw what she had brought out. It was a walkman, a lot like the one she had gotten him at the market on Knowhere a little while ago.

"Hey I didn't know you got another walkman." He said, smirking at the idea that his music rubbed off that much on her.

A small smile played across her lips, "Uh yeah. I really liked listening to your old one, and the Watcher was selling two so I figured I'd get an extra in case something happened to your new one."

He nodded, "What tape do you have in?"

She popped it out, reading the worn label to him, "Van Morrison."

He felt a goofy grin spread across his face. "My mom loved that album. She played it for me when I was like 6."

She smiled then, she liked hearing about his life on Terra and his happy memories with his mother. She grabbed white earbuds off her dresser, "Do you want to listen with me?"

He nodded, feeling as if the moment was bittersweet. He stood up, taking on earbud and putting it in his ear. "Dance with me?"

She smiled at him, "You read my mind, Peter Quill."

He skipped a couple songs until he landed on one of his mother's favorites, "Into the Mystic."

"My mom loved this one," He said and he put his hand on the small of her back, swaying to the slow rhythm of the guitar.

Gamora nodded, "My father loved slow things like this. But they were all from my home world."

Peter looked at her then, a little surprised by any mention of her family. "I didn't know you and your father listened to music."

"Oh we didn't just listen, my father taught me to dance." She said with a small chuckle, but her eyes looked far off for a moment.

Peter, cupped her chin causing her to look at him again. "He would be so proud of you, Gamora."

She nodded then, smiling gratefully at him as the danced.

" _I wanna rock your gypsy soul…"_

"What does that mean? Gyspy soul?" She asked as they continued to dance.

Peter remembered what his mom told him, "My mom said it was someone who is strong and passionate, I think. Someone who is wild and free. Beautiful inside and out, I guess."

She looked at him, flashing a small, comfortable smile. "That's beautiful. I love that."

He smiled then, feeling tears well up once more. He blinked quickly, willing them away. "Someone like you, I think, Mora."

She smiled at him again, looking down sheepishly though. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

It reminded him of his mother's words again.

" _That's sweet of you to say, baby. But I'm not as passionate as I'd like to be. You're gonna meet someone someday that'll remind you of these words."_

 _He looked up his mother again, "I will?"_

 _She nodded, "And when you do, don't let her go."_

 _He smiled at her, "I'll let you know as soon as I do, Momma."_

 _She nodded at her son, putting a hand on his cheek, "I'm looking forward to meeting her."_

He held Gamora a little tighter at the memory, and they swayed to music until the tape ran out.

 **A/N: Okay, I know that was kind of sappy. But I wanted to include a chapter or two surrounding some parts of Peter's past. I know it's super sad, but no one ever addressed that Ego had killed his mother in Vol. 2, so I thought it would be interesting to brush on that. Give the guy some closure.**

 **Also, the part about the Watcher selling the walkman players on Knowhere was a reference to my previous story, "Kick Off Your Sunday Shoes." You should check it out if you haven't already!**


	3. Her Hair Reminds Me

**A/N: I know it's been awhile, but I've been unsure about what to write. The first two topics were kind of heavy. I'm gonna continue with that because both of them have so much baggage that writing about their relationship includes a lot of emotional, intense chapters. But I want to have a couple chapters that are more simple, like typical developing relationship stuff. I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Peter walked out of his bunk and towards the bridge. He had just woken up from a nap, and he was going to check on the autopilot system. He assumed that Rocket had checked up on it, but it was getting late. He wouldn't be surprised if Rocket had gone to get Groot ready for bed. It was his turn to do that tonight, not that Rocket ever protested.

He was passing the last couple bunks, Mantis and Gamora's, when he heard her call out.

"Mantis?" Gamora called from within her bunk. The door was wide open, but he couldn't see her. He figured she was in her bathroom.

"No, it's me." Peter called back, leaning against the doorframe to her bunk.

"Oh!" She yelled, "Can you come in here? I need you."

He tilted his head, but didn't ask further before walking into her room, knocking on her bathroom door to make sure she meant he needed to come in. Gamora doesn't really let people in her bunk, let alone her bathroom.

"Come in!" She sounded kind of frantic.

He suddenly got nervous, did something happen?

He pushed open the door quickly, "Are you alright?" he asked nervously as he barged in her bathroom.

He couldn't help but gape at her. Her hair was slick and covered in dark purple colored cream, as was her face, hands, and parts of the walls and counter around her. She was wearing a white tank top, which was also partially purple.

"What's going on?" He asked, a smirk playing on his lips. He wanted to laugh at the sight of her. Gamora always looked flawlessly gorgeous and tough, and now it amazes him that she still looked adorable despite all the mess.

She rolled her eyes at him, attempting to give him a hard, confident stare. She opened her mouth to speak, but she looked down at her hands and how purple and slimy they were. She just looked up at him and began to laugh.

He started to laugh with her. For what felt like several minutes, they were just staring at each other, laughing about their current situation.

After another moment, she took a deep breath, "It's winter, I want to redye my hair."

He was about to ask how she knew it was winter. They don't permanently stay on one planet, and he wasn't' exactly sure what he was referring to. But looking back, he's noticed the changes in the highlights in her hair throughout each year. It will change from darker purples to softer magentas. He wondered if she was following a calendar from her home world.

He nodded at her, smirking back. "Did you get a little excited with the dye?"

She rolled her eyes, but a small smile was playing on her lips. "Yeah, it got away from me a little bit. Can you turn on the water and hand me a towel?" She asked, referencing to the sink beside him.

He nodded quickly, grabbing the towel and turning on the water at her sink. As he was trying to use part of it to wipe off her counter, he heard her mumble something under her breath.

He turned back to her, seeing that she had gotten even more hair dye on her cheeks.

He laughed a little bit, "Hang on, Baby," he said as he ran part of the towel under the warm water.

As their relationship had progressed, she had began allowing him to call her small, affectionate pet names. However, she only accepted his calling her baby in private.

She took a couple steps towards him, trying to grab the towel. "Hey, hey," he started. "Your hands are all gross, you'll ruin a perfectly good towel. Let me?"

She nodded, leaning into him a little bit so he could get a better look. He leaned forward as well, tilting her face into the light a little so he could wipe the dye off before it dries and sticks to her cheeks. They were standing really close, closer than normal. They had danced together, sure, but they seldom stood as close together as they were now, and Peter prayed she didn't notice his hitched breathing. He felt nervous, but in a really good way. He gently rubbed off the dye, using his other thumb to rub her clean skin softly. Being this close felt intimate to him, and he loved her skin up close. It was so beautiful, so smooth but also so tough.

He stopped rubbing once it was clean, but didn't move away, "All done."

Her breathing was deeper as well, she didn't move either. "Thanks," she breathed.

He nodded, still stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Of course, Mora."

She smiled at him, leaning forward even more, closing her eyes and gently pressing her lips to his. He close his eyes quickly, kissing her back slowly.

She pulled away after a long moment, "I uh, I need to wash the dye out."

He nodded, a little dumbfounded. "Yeah, yeah cool." He said, rubbing his hand down his face, embarrassed by his response.

They had only kissed once before this, and it was when they had argued about him leaving the team after Ego, a couple months ago. He hadn't brought it up since because he didn't want to push Gamora. They had never really defined what they were, if anything at all.

"Do you want me to go?" He asked as he watched her bend down, turning on her tub's facet.

"You don't have to." She said simply, barely turning her head. "You can see how it turns out, if you'd like."

Peter wasn't really a fan of watching anyone get their hair done, but he had never seen Gamora so relaxed and content. Also, she had always had beautiful hair, and he didn't know much about the importance of hair in her culture, if there was at all. All he knew was, if it mattered to Gamora, he wanted to make sure she knew it mattered to him too.

She leaned her torso over the edge of the tub, using her hands to wash the dye out as the water poured out onto her hair, through her hair. While she was washing out the dye, he used the time to clean off her counter and sink. She had clearly tried to grab stuff from various areas in the bathroom with the dye still freshly covering her hands. Once he was done, he tossed the now dirty towel into a basket beside the bathroom door in the bunk, hopping up and sitting on her bathroom counter. He saw her personal walkman sitting on the other side of him, still plugged into the speakers.

He was curious to see what she had been listening to before he'd arrived to help. He turned up the volume slightly, hitting play.

" _Her hair reminds me of the safest place, where as a child I'd hide…"_

He smiled, but was a little surprised. He wasn't a big rock fan, but he knew Guns & Roses when he heard it. He thought about where she would've heard this stuff, it wasn't _his_ normal taste, but the idea of her liking Terran music enough to go out and find her own tastes made him really happy. It was like he had introduced her to something that became so important to her, parts of it have become her own, almost sacred, experience. He turned it up a little bit when he noticed that he foot was gently tapping on her bath mat to the beat of the song.

He tapped his fingers on her counter to the tape as well, patiently waiting for her to finish up. The water turned off abruptly once she was done. She grabbed a towel from the edge of the tub, rubbing her hair gently as she stood up, flashing a small smile to Peter once she found his eyes. She walked passed him to get to her bunk's area.

"I didn't know you were a Guns & Roses fan," He stated, not leaving his seat since she closed the door a little, probably to change her clothes.

"Uh, just that one song really. Or that's all I know of them at least." She called back, her response a little muffled, like she was pulling a shirt over her head.

She pulled the door open once she finished. He smiled at her shirt selection. It was a little chilly on the ship, and she was wearing an old, navy sweater of his. The threading was coming loose, and he was going to throw it out until Gamora called him wasteful and took it to her room herself.

Sometimes he wondered if she actually meant that, or if she simply wanted his sweater. Since moving onto the Milano with the rest of the Guardians, Gamora has obtained ownership of plenty of his old shirts and sweaters. Usually when he's done with them, being too small or too worn.

"Nice sweater," he commented, the smile on his face definitely seeping into his tones. The rest of her body was covered due to her choice in black leggings instead of her usual sleep shorts. Her feet were exposed though, and he noticed the dark purple color she had added to her hair was also painted onto her toe nails.

She smiled at him, nodding in response as she gave her bathroom a thoughtful gaze.

"I'm trying to decide if I should blowdry my hair," She wondered aloud. "It is getting late, so there is no logical point to dry and curl it right now." She tapped her finger to her lips slowly, thoughtfully. "Though, I want to see how this came out."

He nodded, "Do you like braids?"

"Yeah, I don't do them as much as I used to, but they're nice."

He pushed himself down from her counter, "My mom taught me how when I was a kid, I could do it if you want."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Do you think you remember how?"

He raised and lowered one shoulder, "More or less, but there's only one way to find out."

She rolled her eyes, but a smirk was threatening to give away her true feelings. "There's a hair brush with some bands wrapped around the handle in my drawer." She said, turning and walking back into her room.

He pulled it out quickly, carrying the brush and her small walkman setup into her room behind her.

She sat down on her bed, taking the walkman and speaker from her as he followed her. He climbed in bed behind her, resting his back against the wall where she normally laid her head. He made sure his shoes were off before putting his feet on her blankets, spreading his legs wide enough that she could scoot backwards, sitting close enough to them that they would both be comfortable, but he could still braid her hair.

After several moments of comfortable silence, he noticed that she had replayed _Sweet Child of Mine_ on the tape.

"Why do you like this song so much?" He asked as he brushed her hair, making sure there were no tangles that would make their way into her braid later on.

She shrugged slightly, "I dunno, actually. It kind of reminds me of my mom, I think."

"You think?" He asked, unsure of why she might not remember.

"I was taken," with the unspoken " _she was murdered by my crazy adopted father,"_ deep within the subtext, "-way before I could really develop memories besides them teaching me simple tasks. I was a small child." He knew she was explaining, but her body had relaxed even more, like she was reminiscing on her life with her family, her life as a small, simple child with a safe, simple life. He understood that particular nostalgic feeling for sure.

"She had a really comforting presence, I remember always feeling safe everytime I looked into her eyes." She sighed, but it seemed bittersweet. She was happy to remember these moments, but wished she had had more time. "She also had the most stunning hair. It was always perfectly shaped and curled, but still so soft."

Peter didn't have to see her face to know that she was smiling, even if it was a small one. "I remember she taught me how to use leaves from the Katani trees at the edge of the fields she worked in to curl my hair too. She promised to buy me a styling tool when I was old enough." The last sentence faded off a little bit.

Peter had to stop himself from stiffening, he knew what it was like to lose parents, but when his mother realized she probably wasn't going to get any better, she had done her best to make sure he was prepared for the loss. Gamora's family was ripped from her unexpectedly when she was way younger than Peter. He could never understand that kind of pain that was created by the violence and trauma of their deaths.

"Do you have one now?" He asked, partly trying to change the subject slightly to something that would make her happier, and partly because he was just curious. She never really shared any stories.

"Yeah, Drax actually gave me the one his daughter used on his home world." She said, her voice lighter.

"Oh, that's really nice of him." Peter responded, a little bit shocked. Drax and Gamora were definitely the slowest to start in terms of friendship or any kind of trusting relationship.

At first, Drax blamed Gamora completely for the death of his family, and Gamora would feel guilty over the pain she caused when she worked for Thanos, causing her to avoid Drax out of her idea of respect and remorse. Peter knew as time went on, Drax warmed up to her, and Gamora to him as well.

"Yeah, I was honestly surprised, but Drax said they had visited my homeworld when she was very young and she had loved the women's hair. He got her styling tools from my planet on their visit apparently so she could look like the women in my culture." Gamora sounded proud of the influence her people's hair carried throughout other planets and other citizens' cultures.

"Was hair a big part of the culture on your home?" He asked, wanting to know even more about her past.

She nodded, "Yes, all the women had to change the color ever winter and summer solstice. In the summer, it needed to be brighter and in the winter, darker." She answered.

He nodded as well, working hard to braid her thick locks. He could already tell her hair was drying, and the dye looked really well done.

"Well," he started, "I won't be able to see the rest of this until tomorrow, but from the little bit that's dried already, I think you did your people justice, Mora."

She turned slowly to him then, "Really?" There was a smile creeping across her features, and her eyes looked a little watery.

He nodded, cupping her cheek and kissing her forehead, "Yeah, they'd be proud of you for carrying on the tradition. I love that you do it still."

"I did it whenever I could when Thanos was raising me too." She said, still facing him, but a far off look in her eye, "He didn't know what it meant, and I doubt he ever actually noticed the changes. I could only do it whenever I could steal dye from other planets, and the dye jobs had to be quick, the color never lasted long, and it was always more muted than it should've been." She took a deep breath, "But it was my way of remembering who I really was, even when it felt like he had changed me completely."

All he could do was nod for a moment, taking in her words. "I like that," he said after several seconds, "I like that you used this as a way to stay connected to your roots."

She smiled at him then, seeming to snap out of her hazy entranced state. She gets that way whenever someone reminds her of Thanos, which was more often than she'd admit. "Yeah, me too." She turned back then, "I'm excited for this braid. I want to see if the skills live up to your words," she challenged playfully.

"Oh," he started, "If it comes from me, it'll be the best style in the galaxy."

She laughed then, and they went back to a comfortable silence.

He announced to her once he had finished, laying her brush on her nightstand and stretching. "I hope you'll like it, but it'll probably looked disheveled in the morning." He said, moving to get up and let her go to bed. He hadn't noticed before, but he had been with her for several hours, and he didn't want to keep her from sleeping.

She turned to him, "Thank you," she said with a grin.

"Of course, baby." He smiled as he started to slip on his shoes.

She gave him a funny look after a few seconds of silence.

"What?" He asked as he laced up one shoe.

"Do you," she started, looking down as if she was suddenly shy. "Do you want to stay? In here with me, I mean. Since you said you wanna see how it'll turn out tomorrow?"

He bit his bottom lip then, not wanting to smile so wide or chuckle at her request. She looked so awkward and a little shy when she asked, it made his heart skip a beat or two in his chest. He'd never seen her this way, like she was nervous about asking someone to be near her, but he liked that he made her feel like she wanted more of him. More of his time, at least.

Though he knew by her raised eyebrow that he had taken a few seconds too long to respond, he quickly answered. "Yes, sure." He knew he sounded too eager, but there was nothing left to do but mentally kick himself. This was the first time he'd ever slept in her bunk with her, and he was both super nervous, but also incredibly happy. Gamora never let anyone see her in vulnerable states, and sleeping was the most vulnerable of all.

She had gotten up to brush her teeth and admire his handy work in the bathroom, and Peter had taken his shoes off once more, as well as removing his jeans so he could be comfortable in boxers like he normally sleeps.

"The braid looks nice," she said as she walked out, smiling at him when she noticed that he had made himself more comfortable.

He nodded, "I told you, I'm good. I definitely could have been a hair stylist if I wasn't abducted by aliens and all when I was a kid."

She laughed softly at his comment, walking towards him and her bunk to pull back the blankets. He stood up then, helping her to get ready for bed.

He waited for her to climb in and make herself comfortable. He didn't know how she slept and didn't want to take up her personal space she used to sleep, like her side of the bed and her pillow.

He climbed in once she was finished moving, trying to keep a comfortable distance as he did so. What he wanted most was to hold her in his arms while they slept, but this was the first time they were doing something like this, and he didn't want it to seem too much too fast with her. Besides the fact that they were all a team and needed to work together despite what happened between them, he also really loved her, and wanted to make sure she was happy the entire time.

She rolled over to face him once he was settled in, moving towards him slightly. "Are you sure you're okay to sleep here with me?" She asked after a moment of just looking over his face, noticing his features growing tired.

"Yeah," he yawned, but willed himself not to sleep just yet. He wanted to enjoy this time with her as much as he could. "Are you sure you want me to?"

She nodded, this time, letting her smile take over her features. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Cool, cool." He said, rolling his eyes at himself for trying to sound casual.

She ended up falling asleep before he did, but not without moving even closer to him while they talked a little bit more about her culture as well as what he remembered of the Terran culture. It was funny about some of the things that were similar, and he enjoyed the laughs he got from her when he described cartoons to her.

For awhile, he just watched her sleep, the even breaths she took made him relax even more. As sleep overtook him finally, he tucked a couple of stray hairs behind her ear, noting that the darker purple color he had helped her with had finally dried, and it looked beautiful. She stirred a little bit when he moved her hair, opening her eyes to see Peter, still watching her as his eyes drooped slowly.

She smiled, leaning into him more as he lazily lifted his arm, draping it over her waist as she scooted into him, their bodies meshing comfortably together beneath her blankets.

She pressed a soft kiss to his lips, and "Goodnight, Peter." was the last thing he heard before the best sleep of his life overtook him.


	4. The Worst Things in Life are Free to Us

**A/N: This chapter is a little bit heavier than the others. As a warning, it contains (pretty vague) references to past abuse and assault. Skip this one of those things are triggers for you all. If not, I hope I did this chapter justice, and let me know what you think. If you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see, send me a message or leave a review!**

* * *

She stomped across the threshold of the Milano, making sure to come across louder than usual.  
Rocket ran across the bridge to meet them. "Shhhh! You'll wake Groot." He hissed with a finger to his lips.  
Gamora's hard, irritated expression didn't change, but she made sure her pace was quiet as she wordlessly passed the annoyed Raccoon.  
"Woah, what's with you?" Rocket asked, lunging forward on all fours to keep up with the quick assassin.  
"Nothing." She muttered, not slowing down or attempting to mask her tone that was riddled with annoyance.  
He stopped then, putting his hands up defensively. "Whatever you say, Mora."

He turned back to the bridge, watching Peter helping a stumbling and slurring Drax onto the ship. Rocket rolled his eyes, "Oh boy."  
Peter nodded, struggling with the drunken Destroyer until he could plop him down on their couch, not surprised that Drax fell asleep as soon as he hit the comfortable surface. "Jesus," he mumbled as he stretched. He looked back at Rocket, then down the hall towards their bunks, "Gamora head to bed?"  
Rocket scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "You could say that. She seemed pretty pissed though."  
Peter sighed, "Great."

He began to head that way, but Rocket's words stopped him. "We have to hit Knowhere tomorrow. The Collector's offering a pretty penny to find the thieves taking his stuff."  
Peter nodded, still looking down the hall after Gamora. "Uh-huh, I'll punch it in tomorrow morning."  
Rocket rolled his eyes, groaning as he jumped up on their old weapons crate that doubled as a coffee table, "Quill," he started, now closer to their leader's eye level.  
Peter turned to him then, rolling his eyes at him. "What? I heard you."  
Rocket nodded, looking down the hall like Peter was once more. "What'd you do?"  
Peter didn't even look at him, but his stance had gotten more stiff, "Nothing."  
"Yeah? I call bullshit."  
Peter looked at him then, growing annoyed at Rocket's smug expression. "I can handle it," he reassured.  
"You better. If you and Gamora are having a lover's spat, it needs to be fixed by tomorrow. We have too much at stake to get distracted like this." Rocket's word were harsh, but they rang true. They still had a team to lead, and he'd better fix things with Gamora before the mission.  
He didn't answer, but his expression softened as he passed Rocket, heading down to the team's sleeping quarters.

He heard Gamora closer than he expected, in Groot's bunk.  
"I know, baby." She said softly.  
He stopped at the threshold, quietly leaning against the door and watching her.  
"I am Groot?" The tiny tree asked her, wrapping one of his branches softly around her finger.  
"Mhm, we'll be heading back to Knowhere tomorrow."  
Groot nodded excitedly, "I am Groot!"  
She nodded, "Yes, we can get you some stuff to play with while we travel. Just remind me."  
He extended his small hand that wasn't wrapped around her fingers, watching happily as a small, purple flower sprouted in the palm of his hand.  
Gamora smiled brightly at him, "Thank you, baby." She picked the flower from his palm, "Now go to sleep. We can't get you anything if you're too tired to wake up tomorrow.  
Groot nodded, yawning as he leaned back on his small pillow.  
She wrapped the blanket around him, making sure he was tucked in the way he liked before kissing the top of his head and turning off his heat lamp. It was when she stood up and smoothed off her skirt, she had noticed Peter standing there.

He was smiling at her, despite the impending argument. It made him happy to see her with Groot. She and Rocket were the best with him by far. And Gamora being good with the small tree meant that she was getting comfortable with all of them. Or comfortable enough to show her more maternal side.

Her expression remained hard as she quietly walked passed Peter, not even looking at him as she exited Groot's room and headed down the hall to hers.  
"Oh, come on. It wasn't that bad." He called after her, following her to her door. She walked in, only turning on a single lamp on her nightstand before walking into her bathroom, closing the door quietly. She didn't turn on her Walkman, which was normally in her bathroom and playing every time she was in her bunk. The silence was a bad sign.

He walked into her room, sitting down on her bed and running his hands over his face. He had been sleeping in her room with her for several weeks now, only really going back to his bunk to get new clothes each morning. He figured if there was no way he could fix this tonight, then he'd retreat to his bunk, he just wasn't one for giving up, especially in Gamora's case.

She walked out after what felt like an hour to him, giving him an icy glare.  
"It was that bad," she stated angrily as she walked passed him, shoving her clothes in a drawer. "Now get out." She commanded once she stood back up, her back was straight and her arms were crossed. Whenever Gamora got angry like this, she took a stance that Peter often thought that she could split the universe in half.  
"Wait, seriously?" He asked, standing up from his seat at the edge of her bed. "It really wasn't a big deal."  
She put her hands on her hips, "You could've gotten yourself killed, Peter!" She hissed.  
"That guy wouldn't leave you alone!" He barked back, his voice raising slightly at the memory.

A former Ravager from another faction was at the bar they had all gone to tonight. He had taking a liking to Gamora, whom had simply attempted to ignore him throughout the evening. When she got up to use the bathroom, he'd follow her. When she got another drink, he'd get in her face, demanding she'd let him buy her one. Peter knows she can handle herself, but there was one incident where he couldn't help but step in.

 _She was playing darts with Peter, definitely kicking his ass when the guy came back over, his red skin riddled with beads of sweat._

 _Peter had sized him up the first time he came over, asking Gamora her name. He was tall, at least six inches on Peter, and definitely more muscular than Drax. Peter didn't like that he kept bothering her, but Gamora has insisted that they needed to leave him be. If she lashed out and injured the guy, then it would paint the team in bad light, especially her. He has agreed to trust her instincts, but it was starting to get old._

" _Hey, Dollface." He called as he shoved Peter aside with little effort, though it took most of Peter's effort to keep himself standing. This guy was huge. "You're good at that." He said, winking at her.  
Gamora raised an eyebrow at the man, an annoyed expression riddled across her face. "Good at darts?"  
He nodded, "I like a woman with good aim." He took a couple steps towards her then, getting as close to her face as possible. "I have good aim too. Maybe we could get out of here? Find my ship and I could show you?" He asked, shooting his hot breath into her face. Although it didn't seem like he was asking her permission to Peter.  
She rolled her eyes at him, "I would say I'm flattered, but I definitely am not." She pushed herself past him with ease, walking back towards Peter.  
He was smirking at her, happy that she had put that guy in his place. Once she reached their table, the man gripped her arm harshly, jerking her back to face him. "Oh, I wasn't asking!" He barked, "You're one of Thanos' daughters, and the lot of you have more of a reputation than just killing." His eyes burned with drunken intensity.  
Gamora tried to pull her arm away, but his grip wouldn't let up. "Let go of me. Now." Her voice was even, dangerous.  
The guy simply laughed, yanking her away from Peter and Drax and back towards the bar._

 _Peter got up then, "Dude." He started, gripping his gun as he stood up, preparing to kill that guy.  
_ " _Way ahead of you, friend." Drax muttered, haphazardly pulling his sword out and stalking towards them.  
Before either of them to get there, the guy shoved Gamora towards his friends, bragging loudly. "Look what I got for the night! The last Zen Whoberi slut-" He was cut off by Gamora shoving a dagger through his arm and into the metal bar top. She swiftly moved away, giving his friends a deadly stare, "It's a minor injury. Treat it correctly and he will live," she stated simply, ripping the dagger out and walking away as he slumped to the floor, hollering in pain. She turned on her heel, turning back to Peter and Drax. Drax had stopped short, noticing the situation was no longer threatening to his companion. Peter, however, ran forward and began to hit the man over and over again._

 _Gamora ran back towards the scene, grabbing Peter, trying to stop him from causing too much damage. It took both her and Drax to pull him off of her.  
_ " _Peter!" She shouted, putting her hands against his face, he was breathing heavy and staring angrily at the man that had grabbed her, now a blubbering heep on the bar's floor._

" _I'm calling the cops!" The bartender yelled, grabbing a holo off the wall behind him._

 _That snapped Peter back to reality. He finally looked at Gamora, who had stiffened at the thought of police coming. She took a couple steps back, motioning to Drax. Since the altercation had been covered by Peter and Gamora, he had allowed himself to return to his former, heavily intoxicated state.  
_ " _Grab him, we need to leave." She said, her tone unreadable. She didn't wait for a response before turning on her heel, wordlessly exiting the bar out of the front door._

"It was handled before you stepped in! I can take care of myself!" She leaned forward a little bit, eyes burning with anger.  
He threw his hands up, "You shouldn't have to! You're a part of this team, and we look out for each other."  
"The only way we can keep doing all the good we've done is if we don't get in trouble with the law. Not just Xandar, anywhere!"  
"That guy was just gonna take you back to his ship and god knows what would've happened! Are you just too concerned with your new reputation to understand that?" She visibly flinched at the comment, looking away from him. "I understand the feeling that man gave me more than you know." Her voice was low, and despite the dangerously even tone, he could detect bits of pain within the words.

He ran a hand through his hair, his anger suddenly disappearing,"Gamora, I didn't mean-"

She put a hand up to him, "No, you didn't know what you meant. Which is exactly my point. You're impulsive and act in ways that are short sighted, but that's okay because that's what works for you." She took a breath, her tone was even, but he could tell she was trying hard not to get emotional. "From now until the end of time, no matter what you do, you're the hero who saved the universe by challenging Ronan to a dance off, or the half celestial that killed his own father for the greater good by using your power to create a giant yellow face."

"It was a Pac-Man," he corrected, but his voice softened, "But it wasn't just me. All of us were instrumental in saving the galaxy, especially you."

She shook her head, "Whether that's true or not, the universe will still see me as the woman who assisted in killing people by the thousands, and I'm not feeling sorry for myself. I deserve what I get for what I did when I followed Thanos." She sat down on her bed, running her hands through her hair, "What happened tonight was the least of the dangers I've faced because of what I've done."

He took a heavy breath, watching her for a moment as she sat there, completely still. She had leaned forward, resting her forearms on her legs. She was staring so intently at the wall, almost as if it was a window into all the things she didn't want to remember. He inwardly kicked himself, he's trying to be a good, hell, _whatever he was_ , to her, but he just kept doing things that made him feel unworthy. Like no matter what he did, he couldn't help her.

He took a few steps forward, waiting for her to tell him to leave again, but she didn't. She didn't even look at him as he moved. He took another chance and sat down next to her, "Have-" he started, but paused briefly, unsure of how to ask, "Have people hurt you in that way before?"

She looked at him then, her face so still and unreadable. "Not often, but if they could, yes."

He nodded, clenching his fists until he felt his nails dig into his palms. It enraged him that such terrible things have happened to Gamora. How he wasn't there to stop them or help her overcome it.

"I thought," he took another breath, somehow feeling his words escape him, "I thought about the way he grabbed you, and what would've happened and I just lost it."

She looked at him then. His voice sounded so small, so unsure. "I know, but I had it under control."

He nodded, taking another chance by lightly grabbing her hand, "I know, and I trust that you can look after yourself. I just, I just can't remember how I seemed to survive so much of my life without you, and now that you're in it, I can't bare the thought of you not being here. Being with me."

She squeezed his hand then. Her eyes seemed like this deep, brown void. They were filled with many different emotions. The most prominent one he could make out was fear.

He looked away then, too nervous that he had scared her off. She hadn't let go of his hand, but the warmth it provided him could disappear at any moment.

"I understand," she started after a long moment of silence between the two of them. "I understand your fears. And since leaving Thanos, I have gained respect for myself, at least enough to want to survive longer than I had before." She squeezed his hand again, "And I think a lot of that has to do with having something to live for. Being on this team. Being with you."

He blinked several times, looking at her closely. She was still holding onto his hand, but her features were different this time. It was definitely a large admission of her personal feelings, but she didn't look unsure or nervous like she had when she asked him to sleep over the first night, weeks ago. She looked confident in her confession, her eyes were clear and she didn't look away.

He leaned forward, cupping her face in his hands a kissing her softly.

It lasted longer than any of their previous ones, and it made him feel a helluva lot more too, if that was even possible at this point.

After awhile, they just laid together in bed, waiting for sleep to consume them.

"Mora?" He asked, staring at the ceiling.

"Hmm?" She rolled over, yawning as she looked at his face.

"What's happened in the past, with those men." He started, turning to look at her, "I don't ever want you to feel like you deserved it. Any of it, at any point in your life."

She blinked several times, not saying anything. She scooted towards him as he lifted up his arm. She rested her head on his chest and laid there for a long time, letting him gently run his fingers through her hair as she listened to his heartbeat.

"Thank you," she breathed. She had been so quiet and still that Peter had assumed she was asleep.

He simply nodded, waiting until he was sure she was asleep before allowing his exhaustion to consume him as well.


	5. Something in the Water

**A/N: I know these last few chapters are coming out really quickly. The last chapter I added wasn't my favorite. I write a lot of heavier stuff and I want to put a couple in here and there that are more light hearted. But this one is another that includes interactions with other guardians, and I think some chapters I will keep that way. But it will mostly be exchanges between Peter and Gamora. Let me know if you guys like it with all the guardians involved. Enjoy!**

* * *

He sat in the waiting room with the rest of the guardians. Well, not all the guardians.

They had rushed Gamora and Rocket to the hospital after the mission.

Groot was crying softly while sitting on Drax's knee. The Destroyer was rubbing his back with two fingers softly, unsure of what to say to provide comfort. Mantis was sitting beside him, sleeping on his shoulder. Peter was sitting across from the three of them as he bounced his leg nervously and without rhythm. It had been four hours and they hadn't heard anything. Now they were just left to think of all the ways this mission had gone wrong.

They had beat the Moraders from Sakaar that had invaded a village on Erasik, what they had been hired to do. But they didn't prepare for the cold.

 _The red snow came down quickly and heavily as they fought. It was getting to be hard to see what was right in front of him, even with his mask on. Peter was just blinding shooting in front of him at this point. Drax ran ahead of him, laughing loudly as he knifed three instantly. It baffled Peter how great Drax's vision was in these conditions._

 _Gamora and Rocket were handling three larger moraders that had pushed them back towards a lake at the edge of the village._

 _As he and Drax handled the rest of them, he turned to help Gamora and Rocket. They had killed two, but the last remaining, the biggest, wielding a hammer about the size of Gamora herself as he swung quickly at the two of them, backing them closer and closer to the iced covered lake._

 _As he ran forward to help his friends, he could barely make out Mantis with all the villagers gathered across the lake, watching anxiously as they fought to keep the invaders out. They had sent her there to keep them calm in case the fight got close to them._

 _Rocket activated his arrow rig to fly above and get a shot at his head, but was quickly swatted out of the sky like a bug. He flew out towards the center of the lake, landing on the ice with a thud._

 _Gamora turned her head towards the lake to see where he had landed. Her opponent took no time as he scooped her up, squeezing her tightly as he did so. She clawed at his massive hand, struggling for air._

 _Without thought, Peter fired several shots at his heel, not stopping until he saw the giant alien's purple blood. He kicked himself once he saw the giant stumbled forward and fall face first onto the ice, causing Gamora to be slung further out towards Rocket._

 _She landed harshly on her side, but got up quickly, covering the short distance from where she had landed to Rocket, who was unconscious on the ice. She knelt down to lift him, but stopped short as she felt the ice trembling beneath them. She looked up to see the alien get up and roar after them._

" _Friends be careful!" Drax yelled as he stopped at the edge of the lake._

 _Peter and Drax noticed cracks forming in the ice as the morader ran towards Gamora and Rocket. Peter activated his arrow rig in hopes to grab his friends before the ice could crack. Neither he or Drax could swim, and landing on the ice could end up in all of them drowning if he wasn't careful._

 _As the monster bounded towards the two of them, Gamora saw Peter flying towards them out of the corner of her eye. She drew the Godslayer and lifted Rocket over her shoulder. She spread her legs to a fighting stance, prepared to kill the giant before getting lifted to safety._

 _Peter grabbed Rocket under one arm and wrapped the other around Gamora's waist. She still her sword drawn, eyeing the enemy as it bounded towards them. The arrow rig struggled under the weight of all of them together._

 _They got high enough to be safe from its reach. It stopped trying to reach for them, and picked up a large piece of ice that had separated from the lake beneath them and threw it at them as they flew away. It hit Peter's shoulder, releasing Rocket from his grip._

 _Gamora reached for Rocket as he fell, barely missing his jacket between her fingers. Peter shot at the giant below them, but it wasn't doing enough to stop him._

" _Shit!" She yelled as she watched the giant grab Rocket and roar up at them. She gripped Peter's arm._

" _Gamora don't! We can separate him from up here." He yelled as he tried to tighten his grip._

 _She looked up at Peter, "I'm sorry," before she pulled his arm off her, and fell with her sword drawn. She landed on the giant's shoulders, stabbing the Godslayer through his neck._

 _He groaned painfully and dropped to his knees, dropping Rocket into the dark red water below. Gamora pushed herself off his shoulders and dove in after him._

" _Gamora!" Peter yelled as he watched her disappear into the water._

"the Guardians of the Galaxy?" An Askavarian doctor asked as she approached the team in the waiting room.

Peter jumped up first, "Yeah! Yeah, that's us."

"I'm Dr. Hanko, I've been taking care of Rocket."

Peter stopped approaching the doctor for a moment. Where was Gamora?

Drax passed him, "Are our friends okay?"

Dr. Hanko nodded, "He was critically injured, but he is responsive."

Peter let out a breath, "Okay. What about Gamora?"

Dr. Hanko, "Her modifications make it harder for us to determine when she'll wake, but we are hopeful."

Drax stepped forward once again, "Will she be alright?"

"Like I said, it is hard to accurately treat her with all these modifications. They should be able to bring her body temperature back up, but it will take awhile. Do you happen to know the name of the doctor that performed the operation for these enhancements? If we could get in contact with them and get more information, we could have a better idea of how to effectively treat her."

Peter stiffened at the question. The Erasik didn't know the origins of the the team, and they especially wouldn't be too happy about treating them if they knew some of their backgrounds, particularly Gamora's.

"We're not sure," Mantis answered for all of them.

"Yeah, it was before we all met." Peter finished, looking back at his friends with a grim look.

The doctor nodded, clasping her hands together, "Well then my suggestion is to just sit tight. Her modifications seem up to date, they should be able to heal her. When your other companion is awake we will let you know."

They all nodded. Drax and Mantis went back to sit down, but Peter couldn't sit still anymore.

"I'm gonna go get us some coffees." He muttered as he started walking away.

"I am Groot!" Groot called after him, raising his arms to Peter.

He was about the size of a human toddler at this point. Harder to carry, but still needy like a small child.

Peter nodded, "Yeah, you can come with me, buddy." He lifted Groot up and let the tiny tree sit on his shoulders as he walked.

As he was walking, he was trying to remember the exact moment he realized she wasn't alright. She had been so focused on helping Rocket that Peter wasn't watching her.

 _Peter pressed his mask, disabling it as he watched the water in horror. He landed on the ground at the edge. He looked around, seeing Drax and Mantis running towards him. Groot jumped out of Mantis' arms and bounded down the lakeside, towards Peter. He was wailing as he pointing to the large break in the ice where his friends had fallen._

 _Peter looked at Groot, feeling guilt well within him. He decided he could grab them if they weren't that deep. It was stupid, but he had to try. It had been at least a minute and there was no sign of them near the surface of the water. He ran forward stepping onto the ice as it crackled beneath his feet._

 _Drax ran up behind him, gripping the collar of his leather jacket and pulling him back to the shore. "Peter, no. The ice will crack."_

 _He tried to fight off Drax as he held him back from the lake._

" _We have to get them!" He yelled in Drax's face._

" _I am Groot!" He called as he ran across the ice._

 _Mantis went to grab him but stopped when she noticed the ice wasn't shifting beneath him._

 _He was small enough to get across the ice without endangering himself. He used his rapid growth to extend his arm and grab Gamora's sword, which was sticking out of the ice next to the dead morader._

 _He looked back at his friend, and put his hands together slowly as he created a narrow, but definitely solid, passage for them to walk across and avoid the ice._

 _Before he was even sure it was steady, Peter took off running towards the break where Rocket and Gamora were. He didn't see any sign of them._

" _Rocket! Gamora!" Drax yelled into the lake's icy waters._

" _I know how to swim, I can go look for them." Mantis offered, but the fact that she was already shivering even wrapped up in a thermal parka was an indicator that she would just do more harm than good._

" _No, it's too dangerous." Peter said, not looking away from the water._

 _They stood there silently for a long time, starring intently into the dark red water below._

 _After what felt like hours to Peter, they saw Gamora burst up to the surface. She took heavy breaths as she threw Rocket out onto Groot's solid bridge._

 _Drax grabbed Rocket and began to shake him, but he wasn't moving._

 _Peter grabbed Gamora's arms and pulled her out of the water. Her lips were blue and her normal green skin was pale and freezing._

 _She stumbled out of his grip and pushed Drax to the side. "He needs CPR." She barked as he put her trembling hands to Rocket's chest and began compressions._

 _After several minutes, Rocket began to cough. Gamora rolled him on his side and he coughed up the water in his lungs. After he was done he passed out again. Drax, Mantis, And Peter knelt down then, trying to see if they could wake their friend._

G _amora stood up and stepped away, wrapping her arms around herself. She was slightly trembling, but it was clear she was working hard to keep it at bay._

 _Peter moved to take his leather jacket off and hand it to her, but she shook her head._

" _No," she refused, "Rocket needs it more."_

" _You just spent ten minutes under water! It's a miracle you're still alive!" Peter shouted, shoving his jacket towards her._

" _Yeah! I saved his life! Now give him that jacket." Her tone was a little shaky, but deadly nonetheless._

 _He knew he shouldn't have, but he appeased her and wrapped his coat around Rocket as Drax lifted him._

" _We need to get him to a hospital." Gamora stated as she urged everyone to walk back towards the Milano._

 _She lagged behind everyone who was now wrapped up in making sure Rocket was still breathing. Peter slowed his pace once he noticed Gamora's troubling stride. He wrapped his arm around her waist, shivering to himself slightly from her ice cold skin._

 _After about ten minutes of walking, they were almost at the ship. Peter had lagged before the group significantly to stay at Gamora's pace, growing nervous at her_ _deteriorating state._

 _"Stay with me, babe," he murmured as he gripped her waist a little tighter, hoping to warm her up at least a little. She looked up at him then, her lips twitching upward slightly in an attempt to smile._

 _She began to cough a little bit, stopping slowly. "Pet," her voice was raspy. "Peter," She murmured as her eyes rolled back and her body collapsed into the snow._

 _He dropped to his knees, pushing her wet hair out of her face. Her eyes were shut and it didn't look like she was breathing. He began to panic, he didn't know CPR. He lifted her to him and put his ear to her chest._

" _Come on, come on, come on." He panicked more, but let out a sigh of relief when he heard a few faint heartbeats._

 _He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and the other beneath her knees, sprinting towards his friends._

" _We need to get to the ship!" He shouted as he passed them._

 _When they reached the Milano, he noticed that her modifications were all iced over, making it hard for her to get warm._

 _He ran across the bridge to find Mantis sitting in the pilot's seat._

 _"How's Rocket?" He asked frantically, hoping to hear some good news._

 _Drax walked in behind him before Mantis could answer, "Not so good, Quill. I think he needs a doctor." He gave Peter a grim look, "And Gamora?"_

" _She's not getting any better. We need to find a hospital," Peter mumbled before turning on his heel to check in on Gamora once more._

He got coffees for everyone, except Groot, who groaned when Peter handed him a mineral water.

"I am Groot," Groot mumbled as they headed back to the rest of the guardians.

"I know buddy," Peter sighed, "I'm worried too."

"I am Groot?"

"Yeah, I think we'll be able to see Rocket pretty soon." He wanted to smile at the thought. He was so happy Rocket was okay, but not all of them were in the clear yet.

"I am Groot?" The tiny tree's voice sounded a little more scared then.

Peter lifted him over his shoulders, putting him down on the ground in front of him. He knelt down to be closer to his height.

"Groot, Gamora isn't gonna die anytime soon. She just worked really hard to help Rocket and got really cold. She should be better in no time." Peter wiped a stray tear falling down Groot's face. He managed a smile, willing it not to falter. Gamora and Rocket wouldn't want Groot to worry.

"You were so brave today, buddy." Peter said with a smile.

Groot smiled at the compliment. He reached his arms out for a hug, and Peter pulled him his chest.

He carried him back to the rest of them, who were standing around the check in desk.

"Any updates?" Peter asked as he handed Drax a coffee.

Drax nodded, "They're gonna let us see Rocket in a few minutes."

Peter nodded, "So he's awake then?"

"Yeah, talking and everything too." Mantis answered as she sipped her coffee gratefully.

"And Gamora?" Peter asked, his heart skipping a beat.

Drax raised and lowered one shoulder. "Same still. They think some of her modifications weren't meant for the extreme cold of Erasik."

Peter nodded, his insides twisting at the idea that she might not be okay. The fact that this was his fault.

They were called into see Rocket soon after Drax filled him in.

He was awake, and his fur was mostly dried at this point. He looked a little worse for wear but smirked when they entered.

"Well look who finally decided to pay me a visit?" He opened his arms so Groot to climb into them.

"Hey bud," he murmured as he patted Groot's leafy head. Groot snuggled into Rocket, happy that his friend was safe.

Rocket got one look at Peter's face and his unspoken question was answered. "Gamora's not awake,"

Peter nodded, managing a smile. "I'm glad you're alright."

Rocket nodded, but continued his focus on Gamora. "What's the hold up? I'm up fine and my mods are shit compared to hers."

"The doctors cannot figure out the technology. They've ask where it comes from but we can't tell them that without giving up her past." Drax explained.

Rocket took a deep breath, "Well that makes sense. Doubt I would've survived without these doctors anyways. The mods are nice but Gamora might need some extra help." He pointed to his bag in the corner of the room, "Quill, hand that to me."

Peter grabbed the bag and placed it in Rocket's bed beside him.

Rocket rifled through it for a moment before making a satisfied sound under his breath and pulling out a scanning device. He activated it and placed it face up on his bed. Several full body scans of Gamora appeared. Each one looked at her entire body, focusing on bones and modifications, at different angles.

Rocket scrolled through several of the images, showing everyone that there were descriptions that were vague enough that her past with Thanos wouldn't be conntected, but detailed enough that the doctors could do the work necessary to speed up Gamora's recovery.

Peter stepped forward, scrolling through the projected images himself once he got close enough.

"When did you take these?" Peter asked.

Rocket shrugged, "When we did a second trip to Xandar about a year ago. Gamora and I discussed it, and we agreed it'd be smart of us to have these on hand in case a job went south and the hospitals weren't exactly advanced."

Peter nodded, it was a smart idea. "How did they know to get yours?"

"I wasn't passed out the whole time. Even when we were back on the ship I was waking up. When I came to in a hospital bed I thought I better show them my scanner before it all goes to shit. Didn't have enough time before I blacked out again to get Gamora's doctor in the room." Rocket closed the scanner filled with Gamora's files and handed it to Drax. "Give this to her doctor. They'll know what to do from there."

Drax ran out quickly, barely even saying thanks before racing down the hall. Peter could hear him asking for Gamora's doctor even as he rounded several corners. It made him happy to know this might give her a shot at being alright sooner. She deserved to health quickly and painlessly.

Mantis sat down in a chair next to Rocket's bed, patting the top of his head softly. "Friend, I am glad that you are alright. But you were hurt more than Gamora, how did you come to sooner?"

Rocket leaned back into his pillow then, his bed had been propped up into a sitting position once they had all walked in.

"I'm no Zen-Whorebi, but my guess is that her people aren't accustomed to extreme conditions. It's a hot planet, it never gets to any temperature where a jacket would even be needed. And these frozen planets are normally so barren that Thanos isn't gonna put put effort into modifications needed to fight under water." Rocket's answers sounded true, but Peter was shocked he knew all that.

"How'd you know all that?" Peter asked.

"My mods have gone to shit before and Gamora always knows how to fix 'em. We get what it's like," he hesitated, dropping his head at the awkwardness that he felt by expressing his feelings. "-what it's like to have someone poking around your body that shouldn't be there." Rocket took a breath, "Also, she always has her shit together to save us, it's the least I can do to help make sure she'll be alright." He sounded actually nervous at the idea that she might not be okay.

Peter nodded then, stepping forward and squeezing Rocket's shoulder. "When she wakes up, I'll make sure you're one of the first to know."

Rocket nodded, "I appreciate it."

They stayed with Rocket until a nurse came in, letting them know that Gamora had made a turn for the better, and was expected to wake up soon.

The guardians wanted to see her, but understood that Peter's unspoken thing with Gamora wasn't exactly unspoken anymore. So they stayed with Rocket longer, giving Peter time to be there when she wakes up.

He sat at her bedside for what felt like hours. He had taken her limp hand in his the moment he arrived. It was still unnaturally cold to him. With a heavy heart, he leaned forward a tucked a strain of hair behind her ear. It had mostly dried, but he could still see some flecks of ice that hadn't yet melted, despite the thoroughly heated room she was laying in. She didn't move at all when he moved her hair. It broke his heart a little more. When they would sleep together and he touched her hair, she would wake up instantly. The smallest movements or touches were guaranteed to create some sort of response from her, whether she was sleeping or not. The longer he sat there watching her sleep, the more guilty he felt.

 _He shouldn't have let her jump in after Rocket._

 _He should've known about her modifications files and given it to her doctors sooner._

 _He shouldn't have made her and Rocket go against the Sakaraan giants alone._

 _He should've grabbed them from the ice sooner._

 _He should've done more for his team. For Rocket. For her._

He was so busy wrapped up in what he could've done to avoid this situation that he almost didn't notice when her eyelids fluttered.

His mind cleared instantly, and he leaned forward. "Gamora? Mora?" He squeezed her hand hopefully, and he felt tears well in his eyes when her saw her beautiful brown ones opened up to meet his.

She blinked several times as her eyes strained under the fluorescent lighting in the room. "Peter?" she breathed after a moment, slowing sitting up.

He had never felt himself smile this wide, "Hi, baby."

She took a deep breath, "How's Rocket?"

"Awake. Has been for a little while now. He's okay."

She nodded, "Good."

Peter wanted to take in the moment, but part of him was still pretty terrified. "Why didn't you tell me you might not have been able to survive that water?"

Gamora sighed, "We're gonna do this now?"

He nodded, "Yeah, we are. Because everyone else is waiting to see you, and I've spent the last twelve hours wondering if you were gonna live. So yeah, we're doing this now." His voice cracked at the last part a little bit, anger and fear effecting his ability to think and speak clearly.

She took a deep breath, "I wasn't sure if it would be a problem or not. And Rocket would've died. You can't swim and neither can Drax. Besides, with my enhancements, I was the best bet of getting him out of the water as quickly as possible."

Peter took a deep breath, letting go of her hand to run his hands over his face.

He knew she was right, but he had been so _terrified_ at the idea of losing her. He wasn't thinking clearly. He took a deep breath, "But you didn't tell me the risk involved for you."

She sighed then, taking his hand in hers once more. "If it anyone's life on this team or mine, I'm going to choose them. Always. You know this. You all have a better chance of doing what's right and being safe if I'm not in the picture. It's what's best for-"

He threw his hands up then, letting go of hers. "I don't fucking wanna hear this anymore, Gamora! You did terrible things before meeting us, we all know that, and we love you just the same. You can't keep making snap decisions that could fuck up or end your life because you think that somehow we're all better than you. Who convinced all of us to save Xandar from Ronan? You did. Who warned me about Ego before anyone else? You did. You're a good fucking person, and I'm tired of hearing you say that you're not."

She ran her hands through her hair, clearly annoyed with him. "All these things don't make up for everything I've done, Peter!"

He stood up then, preparing to leave. He was getting very angry, but he didn't want to stress her out. "Well I don't give a shit about your past, Gamora! What I do care about is that you have a long future ahead of you here with people like care about you. Like me. Do you ever consider me when you do crazy shit like this? You can me short sighted, but you're the one who acts reckless. And you lie to me about what your modifications can handle."

"I didn't lie I just didn't tell you." He could tell she knew she was wrong because she was looking down.

"That's a lie, Gamora. When your life is on the line, and you neglect to mention information that could keep you safe, it's a fucking lie." He had been standing, but he couldn't manage to leave. He was so angry, but he was so happy she was alive. "And you told Rocket all this, but not me. Why?"

She took a deep breath, "Because Rocket would let me do what I did for him today for anyone else on the team. What if it had been Groot in that water today? Or Mantis? Drax? You? You wouldn't have wanted me to go in after you?"

He threw his hands up, gripping his hair harshly, "If it could kill you, no."

She took a deep, exasperated breath, "Why the Hell not?"

"Because I fucking love you!" He shouted, stepping back towards her. "I couldn't handle stepping back into a life where you weren't living!"

She sat up straighter then, pushing herself out of bed and standing shakily.

He tried to step foward and help her but she put a hand up, stopping him. "Peter, I have spent my life surrounded by people that I would gladly let drown in frozen rivers. I am grateful to be in a family that I love enough to rather die than see any of them in pain. Especially you.'

He took a deep breath then, willing himself not to break under her compassionate gaze. "I am sorry that I scared you, but I act this way because I love our family. And I love you."

He couldn't stop himself anymore, he closed the short distance between then and enveloped her in a kiss. It was shorter than their normal ones, mostly because he craved her being near him. He pulled her closer and closer until there was no way she could be any nearer to him and he held her for a long time.

After awhile, he let her go and she got back into bed. Her legs were still shaky, and her arms were trembling a little bit. The doctors came in and explained they wanted to keep her and Rocket over night to make sure they wouild be okay, but that they were both in the clear. After they left, Gamora scooted over and let Peter lay beside her in the small bed.

As soon as he climbed in, he hugged her once more. He burrowed his face in her hair, and felt some tears flow down his face. He felt bad that he was getting her hair damp, but the way she stroked his hair softly indicated to him that she didn't mind.

After several hours of laying next to her, just taking her in and making sure she wouldn't pass out or die on him, exhaustion from the day overtook him, and he fell asleep in her arms.

When the rest of the guardians came to visit, Gamora motioned for them to come in, but be quiet. She stroked Peter's hair as he slept, smiling at the way he seemed to rest easier when she was around.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, I know this one's longer, but it became longer than anticipated. I also know that Easik might not be this super cold planet that isn't really developed, but I couldn't mind much about a planet that fit the description I was looking for while writing this. I hope you guys enjoy.**


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